When do you learn abount Tensors?

I just finished a intro to modern physics recently where we covered SR, but didn't touch on GR. From what I've read, you have to have an understanding of tensors before you can understand Einstein's equations and most of the math behind GR. I go to Stony Brook, and I haven't found any specific math courses that covers tensors, so I was wondering when you guys learned it. Is it touched on in linear algebra, abstract algebra, maybe diff geometry, or grad school? I want to learn about GR, but I'm curious about how much background I need.

You might touch on it in your upper division electrodynamics course. If not, then you'd see them in graduate e/m or classical mechanics. As far as in what math class you might see them in, I'm not sure, if you even would.

I'm actually taking a junior division e&m class, but I don't think it will be touched on there.

In terms of GR textbooks, I do have Basic Relativity by Mould (which I bought for SR) and they do touch on Tensors a little bit there, but it seems like they expect you to know some stuff already. I'll check out the science books threads to see any other books/ideas.

We do have an upper division relativity course, but its not dedicated just to GR (same textbook is actually used). Easier for the teacher I guess.

Thanks for the advice, I was just worrying that my university was lacking a course (at first I thought they didn't have a PDEs course, but its just given a strange name like applied real analysis instead of just...PDEs :) )

In undergrad I tacked a whole math major onto my physics program, and didn't learn too much about tensors. I guess we touched on it in differential geometry. I worried about tensors again when I took cosmology, and one last time in my third year of grad school when I took quantum field theory. Strangely, I've yet to actually study tensor calculus comprehensively.

I first got in touch with them in Classical Mechanics in my second year, the professor didn't say any word about the properties. Then in the second semester I encountered them in electrodynamics (intro to electrodynamics by David Griffiths) and began to understand. This year I had Particle Physics (intro to elementary particles by David Griffiths) and now I finally feel that I can really work with them. Never had any explanation about it from any of my professors in my three years of physics...

The problem in physics is that nobody takes the time to explain to students what tensors really are. They are of utmost importance, but somehow physics professors keep them mysetrious for their students.

Unfortunately, stony brook doesn't have a mathematical methods course, but rather seem to relegate the task to the Math department in two classes, applied real and applied complex analysis. The classes seem pretty similar to mathematical methods courses.

Functions of a complex variable, calculus of residues including evaluation of real integrals, power and Laurent series, conformal mappings and applications, Laplace and Cauchy-Riemann equations, the Dirichlet and Neumann problems, and the Laplace and Hilbert transforms and their applications to ordinary and partial differential equations

Then in the second semester I encountered them in electrodynamics (intro to electrodynamics by David Griffiths) and began to understand. This year I had Particle Physics (intro to elementary particles by David Griffiths) and now I finally feel that I can really work with them.

Thats good to hear actually, I'll be getting the Griffiths electrodynamics course for next semester and i think the griffith one for elementary particles is recommended for the particles class. I guess I was wrong about it being touched on in that class. It seems like their important for E&M and GR, but stony doesnt mention them on any course page. Guess you gotta learn while you go.

At my school we have a course titled "Vector and Tensor Analysis", which hopefully will introduce me to tensors well enough to take a course in GR. To be honest I have no idea what a tensor is at the moment, but luckily have enough time to learn.

I first learned what a tensor really was (i.e. beyond the usual heuristic discussions given in many undergrad physics books) in a grad GR course. Almost all of the standard texts for such courses cover tensors in some degree of detail.

If you want to learn about them right now, I second the recommendation above of Carroll's lecture notes. They have a fantastic, no-nonsense introduction to tensors for physicists.